Herding Question.

[JulesP]

We don't have an Erskine Park type training set up here. Maybe that is it. The training places are all privately run.

[Jed]

There are toy dogs doing jumping and agility, there are non earth dogs doing earth work. There are very unlikely dogs with tracking titles.

What is a "professional" in the world of sheep? Someone with a few hundred thousand acres, and ten thousand sheep?

That someone bought a Shih Tzu for a pet. The Shih Tzu shouted "whoopee" when he saw the sheep -and as s00n as he was old enough, he became the No. 1 yard dog - he herds sheep, he will stare down a sheep, he will bite sheep, he will back sheep. He can't work in the paddock, he can't run fast enough. He was born with the instinct. No one has any idea why. He didn't need much training, I think he picked it up watching.

People and dogs who want to have a go should be given a chance.

To the OP - a lot of professional traillers start their pups on chooks. If the pup does a good job with the chooks, they try him with sheep when he is bigger. You could do that too.

Good luck.

and I understand what people who trial are saying - but open your minds - and give your fellow dog owners a go. Takes but a second. If the dog is good, well done, if it is no good, well, it was a bit of a waste, but the owner is satisfied then.

[J...]

well said Jed. I see a lot of farms in my work and some of the "workers" have some pretty interesting breeding :p

Our most useful working dog was our family pet who was bought from a pet shop *shock horror* back in the late 1980s. Cardigan Corgi cross thought to have some chihuahua in her. She would push, speak on command, cast and heeled just as well as the cattle dog. She had her limitations, but she was incredibly handy as it meant you didn't need to go home and grab a dog if you needed one in a hurry.

That said, not having anything to do with herding, who is allowing these people to persist with a dog who is doing nothing but stir up the stock?